UFC: Dana White says Khamzat Chimaev will be ‘massive superstar’ if he beats Leon Edwards
- UFC president reveals No 3-ranked welterweight Edwards will face surging undefeated prospect Chimaev
- ‘He can stop calling everybody out on Twitter now, he’s got an opponent,’ says White
Khamzat Chimaev finally has a fight booked, UFC president Dana White has confirmed, in the shape of welterweight contender Leon Edwards.
The 29-year-old Briton (18-3) was briefly removed from the UFC’s 170-pound rankings for “inactivity” on Thursday, having reportedly turned down a fight with No 6-ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and demanded a title shot, Jorge Masvidal or Colby Covington.
But “Rocky” is back in the rankings at No 3 after agreeing to take on the surging Chechen-born undefeated prospect Chimaev (9-0). The Swedish 26-year-old has become something of a bogeyman in the division in just three fights after making his promotional debut in July.
“So we just got a deal done yesterday for Leon Edwards vs Chimaev,” White told The Jim Rome Show. “They will fight, it will be a great fight, and yeah, he can stop calling everybody out on Twitter now, he’s got an opponent.”
Asked if there is a date set for the fight, White – who is in Abu Dhabi for UFC 254 – replied: “I don’t know yet, I’ll figure that when I get home.”
But ESPN’s Ariel Helwani later reported the fight will headline the UFC’s December 19 show.